Differential driving supercharger and method for controlling the same

A differential driving supercharger for an engine, said engine having a first output shaft and a second output shaft, said second output shaft for providing a driving force;

• said differential driving supercharger comprising:
• a mechanical supercharger,
• a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger, said differential driving device having a sun gear, a planetary carrier, and a ring gear;
• said planetary carrier being adapted to be coupled to said first output shaft;
• said mechanical supercharger being coupled to said sun gear;
• a rotary variable load body, said rotary variable load body being coupled to said ring gear;
• and
• a power source, for driving said rotary variable load body, is coupled to said second output shaft.

A differential driving supercharger for an engine, said engine having a first output shaft and a second output shaft, said second output shaft for providing a driving force;

• said differential driving supercharger comprising:
• a mechanical supercharger,
• a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger, said differential driving device having a sun gear, a planetary carrier, and a ring gear;
• said planetary carrier being adapted to be coupled to said first output shaft;
• said mechanical supercharger being coupled to said sun gear;
• a rotary variable load body, said rotary variable load body being coupled to said ring gear;
• a driving force transmission system adapted to be connected to said engine, said driving force transmission system having an output shaft;
• a driving device for receiving power generated by said rotary variable load body, said driving device being coupled to said output shaft of said driving force transmission system.

A differential driving supercharger for an engine, said engine having a power shaft;

• said differential driving supercharger comprising:
• a mechanical supercharger,
• a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger;
• said differential driving device having a sun gear, a planetary carrier, and a ring gear;
• said planetary carrier being adapted to be coupled to said power shaft;
• said mechanical supercharger being coupled to said sun gear;
• a rotary variable load body, said rotary variable load body being coupled to said ring gear;
• an accelerator pedal for controlling a rotational speed of said engine;
• an accelerator pedal depression sensor for detecting an amount of depression of said accelerator pedal;
• a fuel injection pump;
• a rack position sensor for detecting an amount of fuel ejected from said fuel injection pump;
• an engine rotational speed sensor for detecting a rotational speed of said engine;
• a first intake line between said mechanical supercharger and said engine for introducing supercharged air to said engine;
• a second intake line between the atmosphere and said engine for introducing atmospheric air to said engine;
• a first on/off valve disposed in said first intake line for cutting off supercharged air through said first intake line to said engine;
• a second on/off valve disposed in said second intake line for cutting off atmospheric air through said second intake line to said engine;
• a clutch for connecting and disconnecting between said ring gear and said rotary variable load body;
• and
• a controller, wherein said controller, upon receiving prescribed signals from said accelerator pedal depression sensor, said rack position sensor, and said engine rotational speed sensor, outputs a signal to said second on/off valve to open itself and a signal to said clutch to disconnect, so that air is supplied to said engine through natural suction, and an energy loss of said rotary variable load body is reduced.

A differential driving supercharger for an engine, said engine having a power shaft;

• said differential driving supercharger comprising:
• a mechanical supercharger,
• a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger, said differential driving device having a sun gear, a planetary carrier, and a ring gear;
• said planetary carrier being adapted to be coupled to said power shaft;
• said mechanical supercharger being coupled to said sun gear;
• a rotary variable load body, said rotary variable load body being coupled to said ring gear;
• an accelerator pedal for controlling a rotational speed of said engine;
• an accelerator pedal depression sensor for detecting an amount of depression of said accelerator pedal;
• a fuel injection pump;
• a rack position sensor for detecting an amount of fuel ejected from said fuel injection pump;
• an engine rotational speed sensor for detecting a rotational speed of said engine;
• a first intake line between said mechanical supercharger and said engine for introducing supercharged air to said engine;
• a second intake line between the atmosphere and said engine for introducing atmospheric air to said engine;
• a first on/off valve disposed in said first intake line for cutting off supercharged air through said first intake line to said engine;
• a second on/off valve disposed in said second intake line for cutting off atmospheric air through said second intake line to said engine;
• a clutch for connecting and disconnecting between said rotary variable load body and a power source for driving said rotary variable load body;
• and
• a controller, said controller being adapted for, upon receiving prescribed signals from said accelerator pedal depression sensor, said rack position sensor, and said engine rotational speed sensor, outputting a signal to said second on/off valve to open itself and a signal to said clutch to disconnect, so that air is supplied to said engine through natural suction, and an energy loss of said rotary variable load body is reduced.

A differential driving supercharger for an engine, said engine having an output shaft;

• said differential driving supercharger comprising:
• an accelerator pedal for controlling a rotational speed of said engine;
• an accelerator pedal depression sensor for detecting an amount of depression of said accelerator pedal;
• a fuel injection pump;
• a rack position sensor for detecting an amount of fuel ejected from said injection pump to said engine;
• an engine rotational speed sensor for detecting a rotational speed of said engine;
• a rotary variable load body;
• a servo member for increasing and reducing a capacity of said rotary variable load body;
• a driving force transmission system for receiving power generated by said rotary variable load body, said driving force transmission system having an output shaft;
• a driving device coupled to said output shaft of said driving force transmission system;
• a servo member for said driving device;
• a selector valve for selectively connecting between said rotary variable load body and said driving device;
• a clutch for connecting and disconnecting power between said output shaft of said engine and said output shaft of said driving force transmission system;
• and
• a controller, said controller, upon receiving prescribed signals from said accelerator pedal depression sensor, said rack position sensor, and said engine rotational speed sensor, outputting a signal to said clutch to disconnect, a signal to said selector valve to connect between said rotary variable load body and said driving device, a signal to said rotary variable load body to increase or reduce its capacity, and a signal to said driving device to increase or reduce its capacity, thereby transmitting an engine output from said rotary variable load body to said output shaft of said driving force transmission system through said driving device.

A differential driving supercharger for an engine, said engine having a first output shaft and a second output shaft, said second output shaft for providing a driving force;

• said differential driving supercharger comprising:
• a mechanical supercharger,
• a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger, said differential driving device having a sun gear, a planetary carrier, and a ring gear;
• said planetary carrier being adapted to be coupled to said first output shaft;
• said mechanical supercharger being coupled to said sun gear;
• and
• a driving force transmission system having a transmission, said transmission being coupled to said ring gear.

A differential driving supercharger for an engine, said engine having a power shaft;

• said differential driving supercharger comprising:
• a mechanical supercharger,
• a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger, said differential driving device having a sun gear, a planetary carrier, and a ring gear;
• said planetary carrier being adapted to be coupled to said power shaft;
• said mechanical supercharger being coupled to said sun gear;
• and
• a continuously variable transmission for said ring gear is disposed between said power shaft and said ring gear.

A method for controlling a differential driving supercharger, wherein said differential driving supercharger comprises a mechanical supercharger and a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger, wherein said differential driving device has a ring gear, a planetary carrier gear, and a sun gear, with said mechanical supercharger being coupled to said sun gear;

• wherein said method comprises the steps of:
• providing power from outside of said differential driving supercharger to rotate said ring gear so as to control an increase/decrease in a rotational speed of said mechanical supercharger;
• operating said mechanical supercharger at the thus controlled rotational speed to supercharge air to said engine;
• accumulating energy during a period when said rotational speed of said mechanical supercharger is being increased;
• and
• subsequently utilizing the thus accumulated energy to aid in increasing the rotational speed of said mechanical supercharger.

A method for controlling a differential driving supercharger, wherein said differential driving supercharger comprises a mechanical supercharger and a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger, wherein said differential driving device has a ring gear, a planetary carrier gear, and a sun gear, with said mechanical supercharger being coupled to said sun gear;

• wherein said method comprises the steps of:
• providing power from outside of said differential driving supercharger to rotate said ring gear so as to control an increase/decrease in a rotational speed of said mechanical supercharger during a first period of time;
• and
• operating said mechanical supercharger at the thus controlled rotational speed to supercharge air to said engine during said first period of time;
• and
• accumulating energy from said ring gear during a second period of time when said ring gear is rotating idly so as to stop rotation of said mechanical supercharger.

A method for controlling a differential driving supercharger for an engine, said engine having a first output shaft and a second output shaft, said second output shaft for providing a driving force, wherein said differential driving supercharger comprises a mechanical supercharger and a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger for supercharging air to an engine, wherein said differential driving device has a ring gear, a planetary carrier gear, and a sun gear, with a rotary variable load body being coupled to said ring gear, said planetary carrier gear being adapted to be coupled to said first output shaft, and said mechanical supercharger being coupled to said sun gear;

• wherein said method comprises the steps of:
• using power from said engine to provide a power source outside of said differential driving supercharger;
• providing power from said power source to rotate said ring gear so as provide a rotational speed of said mechanical supercharger;
• and
• operating said mechanical supercharger responsive to the rotation of said ring gear to supercharge air to said engine.

A method for controlling a differential driving supercharger for an engine, wherein said differential driving supercharger comprises a mechanical supercharger, a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger, a first intake line between said mechanical supercharger and said engine for introducing supercharged air to said engine, a second intake line between the atmosphere and said engine for introducing atmospheric air to said engine, a first on/off valve disposed in said first intake line for cutting off supercharged air through said first intake line to said engine, and a second on/off valve disposed in said second intake line for cutting off atmospheric air through said second intake line to said engine;

• wherein said method comprises the steps of:
• detecting a rotational speed of said engine;
• detecting an amount of fuel ejected from a fuel pump into said engine;
• opening and closing said first and second on/off valves responsive to the thus detected rotational speed of said engine and the thus detected amount of fuel so that air supply to said engine is controlled through natural suction or supercharge suction.

A method for controlling a differential driving supercharger for an engine which drives a driving force transmission system;

• wherein said engine has an output shaft;
• wherein said differential driving supercharger comprises a mechanical supercharger, a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger, and a supercharger transmission connected between an output of said driving force transmission system and said differential driving device for driving said differential driving device;
• wherein said method comprises the steps of:
• detecting a rotational speed of said engine;
• detecting an amount of fuel ejected from a fuel pump into said engine;
• when the thus detected rotational speed of said engine and the thus detected amount of fuel have values within respective prescribed ranges, power between an output shaft of said engine and an output shaft of said driving force transmission system is cut off so that engine power is converted into at least one of hydraulic pressure and electrical power by a rotary variable load body through said differential driving device;
• and
• converting the at least one of hydraulic pressure and electrical power into power for transmission to said driving force transmission system.

A differential driving supercharger for an engine, said engine having a power shaft;

• said differential driving supercharger comprising:
• a mechanical supercharger;
• a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger, said differential driving device having a sun gear, a planetary carrier, and a ring gear;
• said planetary carrier being adapted to be coupled to said power shaft;
• said mechanical supercharger being coupled to said sun gear;
• a rotary variable load body, said rotary variable load body being coupled to said ring gear;
• means for reducing an energy loss of said rotary variable load body when rotation of said mechanical supercharger is stopped;
• a first intake line between said mechanical supercharger and said engine for introducing supercharged air to said engine;
• a second intake line between the atmosphere and said engine for introducing atmospheric air to said engine;
• a first on/off valve disposed in said first intake line for cutting off supercharged air through said first intake line to said engine;
• a second on/off valve disposed in said second intake line for cutting off atmospheric air through said second intake line to said engine;
• an engine rotational speed sensor for detecting a rotational speed of said engine and providing a rotational speed signal representative thereof;
• and
• a controller for outputting signals to actuate said first and second on/off valves upon receiving a prescribed rotational speed signal from said sensor.

A method for controlling a differential driving supercharger for an engine, said engine having a first output shaft and a second output shaft, said second output shaft for providing a driving force, wherein said differential driving supercharger comprises a mechanical supercharger and a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger for supercharging air to an engine, wherein said differential driving device has a ring gear, a planetary carrier gear, and a sun gear, with a rotary variable load body being coupled to said ring gear, said first output shaft being adapted to be coupled to said planetary carrier gear, and said mechanical supercharger being coupled to said sun gear;

• wherein said method comprises the steps of:
• using power from said engine to provide a power source outside of said differential driving supercharger;
• providing power from said power source to rotate said ring gear so as provide a rotational speed of said mechanical supercharger;
• and
• operating said mechanical supercharger responsive to the rotation of said ring gear to supercharge air to said engine to thereby increase a rotational speed of said engine.

A method for controlling a differential driving supercharger for an engine, said engine having a first output shaft and a second output shaft, said second output shaft for providing a driving force, wherein said differential driving supercharger comprises a mechanical supercharger and a differential driving device for driving said mechanical supercharger for supercharging air to an engine, wherein said differential driving device has a ring gear, a planetary carrier gear, and a sun gear, with a rotary variable load body being coupled to said ring gear, said first output shaft being adapted to be coupled to said planetary carrier gear, and said mechanical supercharger being coupled to said sun gear;

• wherein said method comprises the steps of:
• using power from said engine to provide a power source outside of said differential driving supercharger;
• providing power from said power source to rotate said ring gear;
• causing said ring gear to rotate idly so as to stop the rotation of said mechanical supercharger.